A few New Years hands for review?

[TBone]

All hands are 2/5, live, 10 player hands with only one live blind.

Early on in my session I'm in the blind and see AQo. Table is pretty loose, and for the most part passive--it's early in the day so it's all the retirees and T. There are 5 limpers by the time it gets to me. Who raises here and who just checks? I checked thinking I'm out of position, AQ doesn't play well multi-handed, and a raise at this point of the session is likely not going to get anyone out. Granted, it's likely that my hand is the best here as
there are a couple very poor players (any two cards) and the rest were somewhat loose, but not overly loose. Did I make a mistake here? It _appears_ to be a tossup according to HEPFAP.

Later in the session, I've got 97s on the button, and I don't recall how many limpers came in. I limp, flop comes 2 of my suit, MP bets, only I and BB call. Turn brings the third of my suit, MP bets, I raise here. I realize this likely gives my hand away, (sorry, don't remember specifics of the cards on the board) but I want to at least give any bigger hearts a reason to fold if possible and maybe take it down here. Anyone not raise here w/ a flush w/ 97s? I don't know that a higher Ace would go away, but raising does give me the opportunity to take control of the betting and possibly take the pot at this point.

Much later in the session...I've been running very well--up over $100 in 4 hours and getting a LOT of respect every time I raise and am in a pot. I've used it on a few occasions to my advantage. I've got 98s on the button. There are 4 limpers, I limp, blind checks. Flop comes T high w/ two spades, blind bets, all call, and I raise for value. Unfortunately, everyone folded to the raise except for the bettor! Is there ever an occasion similar to this where raising for value is not a good idea? I doubt it since I almost actually took the pot down there with only a draw.

I apologize for not posting the hands in the normal format, but I'm not so much wondering about my play for the entire hand as the portion I questioned.

T

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
Who raises here and who just checks?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I feel like raising, I raise. If I feel like checking, I check. I think this is close enough that it doesn't really matter all that much. I probably check more than I raise in this situation, though.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone not raise here w/ a flush w/ 97s?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have to raise here to either charge higher cards drawing or get them to fold. Plus, to get more money from hands like top pair that are drawing dead but will pay you off.


[ QUOTE ]
Is there ever an occasion similar to this where raising for value is not a good idea?

[/ QUOTE ]

There's always an occassion for everything, but I'd raise in this spot just about every time.

[bunky9590]

Ulysses hit all three on the head.

Hand 1 I check there 99% of the time. The 1% is only if I'm rushing. You will have to hit your hand to win and I want to see it cheap. You have a free look, take advantage of it.


As far as the other two, raise the made flush, and raise the draw for value. I'm surprised they folded on the flop for one more bet. More often than not, they wont.

[rharless]

Hey T,

In Hand 1, I would raise. Sometimes I check, but if the game is truly loose as you describe, I would raise in our Colorado game. You can go from $2 to $7 and that is too much preflop-win to give up in our structure (imho).

Put it this way -- if it's a tossup in HPFAP, then AQ or other big cards are a much more likely raise in our game, because we have more than twice as much preflop win to rack up. Big cards go way up in value in our game.

Also, a raise from you _might_ narrow the field, even by a couple people, as people who put in $2 are sometimes willing to fold for another $5. But even if they do all call, you have charged them a hell of a lot of money to limp with their K3o,76s, etc.

When I do check, I am usually then looking to c/r the flop.

If it's the "typical" retirees however, I would NOT raise. The typical Black hawk morning retiree player loves to limp with AA/KK/QQ/JJ/AK/need I go on?

I can't believe I didn't see you there but maybe you left early. I got there at 5 and ended up at the Lodge b/c the Mountain High wait was 3x as long. I looked around MH for anyone I knew before I left, though.

The other two hands are just fine to me.

rh

[TBone]

I actually left at 3:00 or so. Claudia was snowboarding, so I was going to take my bad knee either to the bar, or to Blackhawk. After re-reading HEPFAP and getting into Inside the Poker Mind, as well as taking a break from playing like an idiot for a while...I decided going to BH would be nice, and better for my liver. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Had to get back up to Dillon to meet up w/ Claudia though.

That's a good point however on the ability to raise to $7 vs. just doubling up the small bet/blind--I never considered that fact. Of course, the retirees also limp w/ 65o, yadda, yadda, yadda as well. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Was VERY busy, starting at around 2. Action was surprisingly good for an afternoon game after noon or so.

T

[Ed Miller]

Flop comes T high w/ two spades, blind bets, all call, and I raise for value. Unfortunately, everyone folded to the raise except for the bettor! Is there ever an occasion similar to this where raising for value is not a good idea? I doubt it since I almost actually took the pot down there with only a draw.

The only thing better than everyone calling your raise is everyone folding to it. /images/graemlins/smile.gif When the pot is big and multiway, which it is at this point, you want people to fold. You should almost never be unhappy to see someone folding. And, if you get lucky and the caller doesn't have a ten, then you might be able to win just by spiking a nine or eight.

As for AQo, I would raise. The difference between what HPFAP will have to say and what is correct for your situation has to do with the unique structure in Colorado. In a normal structure, you can only double the bet ($5 to $10 for instance) with a raise. All your opponents will usually be correct to call this extra $5, even the ones that limped in with 92s (at least it's close for them).

You, on the other hand, can raise from $2 to $7. Many of those who limped in for $2 will be making a mistake calling the extra $5 raise. Furthermore, they have lower implied odds to look forward to because the bet does not double on fourth street. AQo is more valuable in a six-handed pot in Colorado than it is in a standard structure.

In a standard structure, I generally would just check AQo in the big blind after five limpers. In Colorado, I'd raise.